Bacteria, natural supplements herbs and vitamins to
prevent or treat infections, how to increase good and friendly bacteria by Ray Sahelian, M.D.January 22 2015

Herbal treatment for bacterial
infection
A number of
herbs have activity against bacteria,
but it is too soon to know how effective or how potent they are when
ingested as a supplement. For the time being, any serious infection needs
to be treated with pharmaceutical antibiotics. There's a long list of
herbs that have anti-bacterial properties, a few these herbs
include:

Ashwagandha also
has mind enhancing propertiesGarlic and the
allium family. You
can purchase garlic supplements as pills but the pills do not work as
well as raw garlic.
Indian J Dent. 2014. Evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy of
garlic, tea tree oil, cetylpyridinium chloride, chlorhexidine, and
ultraviolet sanitizing device in the decontamination of toothbrush. The
antimicrobial agents used in this study effectively reduced the S.
mutans counts and hence can be considered as toothbrush disinfectants to
prevent dental caries. The 3% garlic was the most effective among the
antimicrobial agents.
Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014. The defense substance allicin from
garlic permeabilizes membranes of Beta vulgaris, Rhoeo discolor, Chara
corallina and artificial lipid bilayers. Allicin's ability to
permeabilize cell membranes may contribute to its antimicrobial activity
independently of its activity as a thiol reagent.Noni fruit has
antibacterial potential.

Q. Are there any herbs such as
saw palmetto,
andrographis,
mangosteen,
graviola, or
curcumin that can
prevent a bacterial infection?
A. I am not aware of any herbs that can prevent a
bacterial infection from occurring although many herbs can reduce the likelihood
of an infection from a bacteria either through a direct bacteriacidal activity
or by stimulating the immune system. Garlic is a good option.

Friendly bacteria
There are a number of bacteria that are friendly and helpful to humans. If
you wish to know learn about these friendly bacteria, visit the following
web pages:
acidophilus bacteria,
bifidobacterium.
or the web page
probiotics. By ingesting friendly or good bacteria, it is possible
that they could displace the harmful bacteria in the gut.

Can you
tell me about Bacteroidetes, are they friendly or bad bacteria?
See
Bacteroidetes for more info.

Information
Bacteria are set apart from all other organisms
because their cells lack nuclei (they are prokaryotic). All other
organisms are eukaryotic, meaning that their cells contain nuclei.
Because of this fundamental difference, all prokaryotes have long been
grouped together in one Kingdom, Monera. However, new evidence indicates
that there are actually two distinct groups of prokaryotes: Bacteria (or Eubacteria) and Archaea (or Archaebacteria).

Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms believed
to have been the first living things on Earth. While some cause disease,
bacteria also reside normally in our bodies, for example in the digestive
tract or on the skin, performing useful chores. Without good bacteria, the
body could not survive. Microbes in the body actually outnumber human
cells 10-to-1. Bacteria are actually, in essence, a part of our body,

Bacteria and Humans
Unfortunately, many bacteria like to invade the human body and
cause an infection. Fortunately, modern medicine has developed drugs that can
kill or immobilize many bacteria, and has developed
vaccines. These antibiotics are often quite
effective. However, certain bacteria have learned to mutate and make
themselves more difficult to be eliminated. Modern medicine now has
literally hundreds of antibiotics to address the hundreds of different
bacteria that can cause human infection.
Many people carry Staphylococcus aureus, a potential
disease-causing microbe, in their nose and large amounts of this organism
and other bacteria are released into the air with every sneeze. Sneezing
contributes to the risk of cross-infection by airborne transmission of S.
aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), and probably other
bacteria.

Some of the hundreds of bacteria found in the digestive
systems of humans may be linked to specific diseases like cancer, diabetes and
obesity. Researchers, led by Chinese scientist Wang Jun, said in the March 2010
issue of Nature they found more than 1,000 different species of bacteria in the
human gut. Wang Jun, executive director of the Beijing Genomics Institute,
thinks that apart from helping with digestion, some of these bacteria may also
play a very important role in diseases like Crohn's disease, cancer, obesity.

Appendix organ is a source
of good bacteria
The appendix appears to be a useful organ. The appendix helps beneficial
bacteria survive and repopulate the colon after these organisms become
depleted as a result of an infection or antibiotic drug treatment.

Botulism BacteriaBotulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve
toxin that is produced by the Clostridium
botulinum bacteria. There are
three main kinds of botulism. Foodborne botulism is caused by eating foods
that contain the botulism toxin. Wound botulism is caused by toxin
produced from a wound infected with Clostridium botulinum. Infant botulism
is caused by consuming the spores of the botulinum bacteria, which then
grow in the intestines and release toxin. All forms of botulism can be
fatal and are considered medical emergencies. Foodborne botulism can be
especially dangerous because many people can be poisoned by eating a
contaminated food.
In March, 2006, Thailand had one of the world's worst
outbreaks of the muscle-paralyzing disease when 160 villagers fell ill
after eating contaminated bamboo shoots during a festival in the northern
province of Nan. More than 100 are in hospital, including 42 who needed
respirators after they became too weak to breathe on their own.

C DifficileAlmost half a million Americans get infected with the deadly bug Clostridium
difficile each year. And almost all cases are caused by the overuse of
antibiotics."

Chlamydia bacteriaChlamydia is a
common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium,
Chlamydia trachomatis, which can damage a woman's reproductive organs.

Cholera bacteriaCholera is a water-borne disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio
cholerae.
Angola's cholera epidemic has become a national
emergency with more than 20,000 infections and more than a thousand deaths
since the outbreak began in February, 2006. France-based Medicins sans
Frontieres (MSF) said the disease had spread from the capital Luanda to
the coastal city of Benguela and interior provinces such as Malange.
Overcrowding and poor sanitation have fueled the epidemic in the country's
many slums inhabited by internal refugees who remain displaced after the
country's devastating 27-year civil ended in 2002.
May, 2006 update - Angola's worsening cholera epidemic
has killed 1,109 people since the first case was recorded in February and
continues to spread throughout the country. WHO said cholera deaths had
been reported in 10 out of 18 affected provinces with 27,771 cumulative
cases nationwide. Angola, sub-Saharan Africa's second largest oil producer
after Nigeria, is currently in the middle of a reconstruction boom fuelled
by high oil prices. But medical experts say that the government tries to
rehabilitate infrastructure it also helps the disease to spread faster.

E. Coli BacteriaAnimals at petting zoos can transmit the potentially deadly
Escherichia coli bacteria. A study of people who visited Florida petting
zoos in March 2005 concluded that the bacteria, which kills 60 people
annually in the United States and causes diarrhea and other symptoms, can
be transmitted through contact with animals. Another study conducted in
South Carolina suggested many visitors are not taking the most basic steps
to guard against illness. Researchers in South Carolina who watched
visitors at a petting zoo there last year found that many people who left
the zoo did not wash their hands at faucets provided by the zoo.

Legionella bacteria are found in many warm water environments, including
hot tubs, whirlpool spas, and decorative fountains that use underwater
lamps. The legionella bacteria cause
Legionnaires'
disease.

Listeria infectionListeriosis is caused by infection with the Listeria monocytogenes,
which is common in wild and domesticated animals, and in soil and water.
L. monocytogenes infection also a common cause of miscarriage and
stillbirth. Listeria commonly occurs as a food-borne contaminant. It
is potentially fatal and can cause high fever, severe headache and nausea.
It is an intracellular bacterial pathogen, hiding and multiplying within
the cell walls instead of attaching itself to the outside. A listeria
vaccine is being
developed.
The United States fell short of its 2005 goal to reduce
cases of the foodborne bacteria Listeria by 50 percent. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention said the rate of Listeria food poisoning
rose in 2005 to 3 cases per million people, an increase from 2.7 cases per
million a year earlier. Listeria is a potentially fatal disease for
at-risk populations including the very young and the elderly. It can cause
high fever, severe headache and nausea. U.S. health officials say it
triggers about 2,500 illnesses each year and 500 deaths. As recently as
1998 the rate was near 5 cases per million. A USDA spokesman said the
department, which oversees regulations designed to stop the spread of the
bacteria, has rules in place that should help lower future incidences. The
Consumer Federation of America said that, while the government made
progress lowering the rate between 1996 and 2002, listeria has started to
climb because USDA hasn't established tighter controls for deli meats and
hot dogs.
A mixture of six bacteria-killing viruses can be
sprayed on meat and poultry to combat common microbes that kill hundreds
of people a year. The mixture of special viruses, called bacteriophages,
would target strains of Listeria monocytogenes, the Food and Drug
Administration said in declaring it is safe to use. The viruses are
designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products just
before they are packaged. The bacteria they target can cause a serious
infection called listeriosis, primarily in pregnant women, newborns and
adults with weakened immune systems.
Common sources of listeria include: Prepared deli meats and hot
dogs. Refrigerated meat spreads and pates. Unpasteurized milk and other
dairy products. Brie, camembert, feta and other cheeses that may be made
with unpasteurized milk. Smoked, refrigerated seafood. Raw vegetable
sprouts.

Bacteria in Whirlpool, Hot Tub, or Jacuzzi
Better think twice before soothing those aching muscles in a whirlpool bath
or hot tub. Whirlpool bathtubs can be a breeding ground
for a host of disease-causing bacteria. Every hot tub tested has
some kind of bacterial or microbial growth. In most hot tubs, bacteria derived from feces
are present, while four fifths have fungi and a third contain potentially deadly staphylococcus
bacteria.

Pneumococcal Bacteria
A pneumonia vaccine seems to save the
lives of older adults who become so ill that they are hospitalized, even if does
not prevent them from getting pneumonia. Hospital patients who had been
vaccinated were 40 to 70 percent less likely to die than unvaccinated patients,
or those who could not remember whether they had been vaccinated. The vaccinated
patients had a lower risk of respiratory failure, kidney failure, heart attack
or other complications.
Giving adults a vaccine against pneumococcal bacteria has been
controversial.

Salmonella are the cause of most food borne illnesses.

Tetanus bacteriaTetanus is a nervous
system infection that leads to severe and painful muscle spasms. It's caused by
bacteria commonly found in soil, dust and animal waste.

Tuberculosis
(TB) is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The
bacteria usually attack the lungs but the tuberculosis bacteria can attack any
part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly,
TB disease can be fatal. TB disease was once the leading cause of death in the
United States.

Tularemia
Rabbit fever, or tularemia, an uncommon infection with a bacteria, could
be making a comeback. The bacterial disease can infect humans but is rarely
fatal. There have been seven human cases of tularemia reported in Texas since
2002. People can contract the disease by direct contact with an infected animal
or carcass via broken skin, the bite of an infected flea or
tick, eating
infected meat or inhaling the bacteria. Tularemia was a reportable disease - or
one considered to be of great public health importance - in humans until 1992,
when it was taken off the list. However, it was placed back on the list in 2002
due to bio-terrorism concerns. Tularemia is highly infectious, can be contracted
from a small number of bacteria (10 to 50 organisms), and the bacteria could
potentially be made airborne so they could be inhaled. Symptoms of tularemia
usually appear three to five days after exposure. They include sudden fever,
headaches, diarrhea, muscle aches, joint pain, dry cough, progressive weakness,
ulcers on the skin or in the mouth and swollen or painful lymph glands.

A List of Dangerous Bacteria:MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a type of “staph”
bacteria that resist many antibiotics.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella bacteria species, which are major
causes of infections in the urinary tract, digestive system, and wounds.
Acinetobacter baumannii, a growing cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia.
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faceium, a source of blood infections with
high rates of drug resistance.
Pseudomans aeruginosa, a bacterial infection that can be life-threatening in
people with weak immune systems.